‘Brighton set for windfall bonus as Arsenal agree 5-year Viktor Gyokeres deal’
Brighton are in line to receive a financial bonus as former player Viktor Gyokeres closes in on a big-money move to Arsenal from Sporting CP.
Gyokeres’ whereabouts have been the subject of intense speculation this summer following an amazing season with Sporting that saw him bag 39 goals in 33 league games.
Football Insider revealed back in April that Arsenal had opened talks to sign Gyokeres, with sporting director Andrea Berta believed to be a big fan, but the deal soon snagged with internal splits over whether the Gunners should move for the Swede or RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
Football Insider reported on Tuesday (1 July) that Arsenal are still negotiating potential deals to sign either Sesko or Gyokeres this summer, and a decision looks to have been made with the Sporting hotshot seemingly on his way to North London.
Brighton to receive sell-on fee as Arsenal close in on Gyokeres
Gyokeres’ path to stardom has been an unusual one, after he struggled to break through into Brighton’s first team while there from 2018 to 2021, then impressed at Coventry to earn a move to Sporting two years ago, where he has now become one of the world’s most in-demand strikers.
Football Insider revealed on Friday (4 July) that Arsenal are closing in on a deal to sign Gyokeres and are growing confident that a deal will be completed, but the deal will also affect the Seagulls, who sold him to Coventry for just over £1m [SportExpressen] four years ago.
Now, The Guardian have reported that, with Arsenal hoping to strike a deal for less than the Swedish international’s £68m asking price, they understand that Brighton will be due money under a sell-on clause.
The exact fee that will be owed to the south-coast side is unclear, but it is sure to be a welcome boost as Fabian Hurzeler aims to bolster his squad this summer ahead of another potential challenge for European competition next season.
Arsenal are right to choose Gyokeres over Sesko
Football Insider verdict
Arsenal’s striker struggles were on show for all to see last season, with midfielder Mikel Merino spending a large part of the campaign as a makeshift number nine following injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Arsenal’s pursuit of Leipzig striker Sesko has been troubled by the loss of key relationships, after previous sporting directors Edu and Jason Ayto recently left the club, and so a move for Gyokeres always looked more preferable with the striker understood to be very keen to join the Gunners from Sporting this summer [BBC].
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Viktor Gyokeres | 52 | 54 | 13 |
| Benjamin Sesko | 45 | 21 | 6 |
The Gunners are right to pursue a deal for Gyokeres over Sesko in the coming weeks as they need to solve their centre-forward problems as soon as possible to give their new addition ample time to settle in, and his is a deal that looks set to completed very soon.
He is five years older than the Leipzig man, at 27, but his outstanding scoring record in Portugal and the fact he already has experience of playing in English football from his time with Brighton, Swansea City and Coventry, means he is a better signing for the club if they wish to compete for the title again next term.